Preparation Strategy for Maps for UPSC CSE

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Preparation Strategy for Maps for UPSC CSE

The map-based questions come nearby of 20 marks. You can fetch 20 marks easily in the prelims if you go through the atlas regularly. But many candidates find it difficult to prepare the atlas. But one you will get familiar with how to read the atlas, you will find it interesting and you actually look forward to exploring more.

Also read: About the journey of Namami Bansal: UPSC IAS topper.

Political Map of India

When you are looking at the political map of India then you should focus on the location of states and major cities, neighboring states and countries, coastal states and cities, and position of the states with respect to the topic of cancer.

Determine the number of bordering states when you are preparing for states, for example, Maharashtra is connected to 6 others borders. You should also know the name of each state. Next, the question comes related to bordering countries, so go through the bordering countries.

When you are preparing for North Eastern states then also go through the north-south chronology of the states as well as the bordering countries. Another thing is that focus on the location of the city with respect to major cities. Like questions come like arrange the cities from North to South.

Physical Map of India

The physical map is a little bit different and difficult as compared to a political map of India. There are so many things to cover and remember in physical map. You should focus on rivers, lakes, mountains, soils, islands etc. Try to cover all the mountain ranges and plateaus in a systematic manner. And cover all the mountain ranges in the southern peninsula which appears from north to south.

Rivers

There are so many rivers in India and different combinations of questions are possible related to rivers. Firstly start with covering all the important rivers of India. Focus on their origin, flowing through which states, major tributaries and where do they meet the main river and the place where the river meets the sea.

Next focus on the flow of the river, whether the river is flowing in east or west. Also, prepare all the dams or rivers. Also, focus on main rivers in a specific region or a state.

For instance, you can take the example of Brahmaputra. The Brahmaputra originates from Mansoravar Lake and it flows through Tibet and enters Indian in Arunachal Pradesh then continues its journey through Assam and Bangladesh before meeting the Bay of Bengal.

Mountains and Glaciers

In case of mountains go through the north-south, and west-east chronology of mountains. The most important mountain range is The Himalayas. The Himalayas are classified into three parts northern, middle and eastern. Locate all the important mountain peaks and arrange them from north to south.

Next, in the northern Himalayas, there are various glaciers available. Go through the biggest glaciers and determine their north to south chronology.

While you are going through mountains also go through the national parks and wildlife and bird sanctuaries. Find the location of all national parks. Search on the internet for more parks and sanctuaries. At last, find the important mountain passes and the states they are situated.

India’s Coastal Regions

Coasts and Islands are other interesting topics in the atlas to prepare. First, start with all the coastal states and towns and then continue to the important straits and gulfs between islands. The Andaman and Nicobar islands are quite important from the exam point of view.

Your curiosity plays an important role while you are preparing from the atlas. The more curious you are the more you can gain from the atlas. The more often you go through the atlas the more places and facts you will discover. So keep discovering.

Another useful thing for prelims is maps of waterways, highways, railway zones etc. Locate the important ports along the east and west coast.

Maps Strategy for Geography Optional

The weightage of map-based questions has been reduced to 20 from 60, but twenty is still good enough score to be ignored in CSE. So let’s see some of the tips which you need to follow while you are preparing for maps.

From the last two years question papers the questions have been asked on the topics that are not unheard of. So, now mostly the data related to map you will get in the atlas. So do prepare all the prominent entries in the atlas.

Mostly the questions asked on the places which have been a part of current affairs but still, there are some candidates who are not aware of it. So make sure that you will stay updated with the current affairs. Make a note of all places and locate them and write them properly. While you are locating entries focus on the neighborhood also.

Do have an outline map of India and practice and make small write-ups behind it itself. This will help you in quick revision and you can refer to your notes instead of opening atlas.

If you are confused about any entry so don’t leave it blank. Try to take a risk and at least attempt that entry according to doing some calculation and mark it in the right state.

Don’t ignore the question to be attempted in the last 15 minutes which appears to be the general tendency among the candidates. In the last minutes, you shall be too tensed to might just mark them wrong and then waste time in erasing and cutting.